When Sam Maguire went missing on the streets of New York

Next week in New York the county board’s centenary celebrations will end on a high note with the launch of the extensively researched Fergus Hanna 100-year history of the GAA in New York, writes John Riordan.

Hanna has worked for 15 years, availing of newspaper archives to build an incredible record of the ups and downs of Irish sporting life here while also retaining his own unique perspective having covered the games here over the course of a few decades prior to returning to Ireland.

In amongst the countless names who have made their mark, no matter how significant or otherwise, there are enough strange, funny and even absurd anecdotes to go some way to explaining how unique life can be for the Gaels in New York.